Classical Era Eurasian Empires

Question 1

Ahura Mazda

Answer 1

In Zoroastrianism, the good God who rules the world.

Question 2

Alexander the Great

Answer 2

Alexander III of Macedon, conqueror of the Persian empire and part of Northwest India.

Question 3

Aryans

Answer 3

Indo – European Pastoralists who moved into India about the time of the collapse of the Indus Valley civilization; the role in causing this collapse is still debated by historians.

Question 4

Ashoka

Answer 4

The most famous ruler of the Mauryan empire, who converted to Buddhism and tried to rule peacefully and with tolerance.

Question 5

Athenian Democracy

Answer 5

A radical form of direct democracy in which much of the free male population of Athens had the franchise and officeholders chosen by lot.

Question 6

Caesar Augustus

Answer 6

Great nephew and adopted son of Julius Caesar who emerged as sole ruler of the Roman state at the end of an extended period of civil war.

Question 7

Cyrus (the Great)

Answer 7

Founder of the Persian empire; a ruler noted for his conquests, religious tolerance, and political moderation.

Question 8

Darius I

Answer 8

Great king of Persia following upheavals after Cyrus’s death; completed the establishment of the Persian empire.

Question 9

Greco-Persian Wars

Answer 9

Two major persianinvasions of Greece, in 490 BC and 480 BC, in which the Persians were defeated on both land and sea.

Question 10

Gupta Empire

Answer 10

An empire of India.

Question 11

Han Dynasty

Answer 11

Dynasty that ruled China from 206 BC to 220 CE, creating a durable state based on Shihuangdi’s state – building achievement.

Question 12

Hellenistic Era

Answer 12

The period from 323 to 30 BC in which Greek culture spread widely in Eurasia in the kingdoms ruledby Alexander’s political successors.

Question 13

Herodotus

Answer 13

Greek historian known as the “father of history”. His histories enunciated the Greek view of the fundamental divide between the east and west, culminating in the Greco–Persian wars 490-480 BC.

Question 14

Hoplite

Answer 14

A heavily armed Greek infantryman. Over time, the ability to afford a hoplite panoply and to fight for the city came to define Greek citizenship.

Question 15

Ionia

Answer 15

The territory of Greek settlements on the coast of Anatolia; the main bone of contention between the Greek and Persian Empire.

Question 16

Mandate of Heaven

Answer 16

The theological underpinning of China’s emperors, correlating them as under the command of a divine power as long as they ruled morally and benevolently.

Question 17

Battle of Marathon

Answer 17

An Athenian victory over a Persian invasion in 490 BCE.

Question 18

Mauryan Empire

Answer 18

A Major Empire that encompassed most of India.

Question 19

Olympic Games

Answer 19

A Greek religious festival and athletic games to the Greek god Zeus; founded in 776 BCE and celebrated every four years.

Question 20

Patricians

Answer 20

Wealthy, privileged Romans who dominated early Roman society.

Question 21

Pax Romana

Answer 21

The “Roman peace”, a term typically used to denote the stability and prosperity of the early Roman Empire, especially in the first and second centuries of CE.

Question 22

Peloponnesian War

Answer 22

Great War between Athens and Sparta, lasting from 431 and 404 BCE. The conflict ended with the defeat of Athens and the end of the Athenian golden age.

Question 23

Persepolis

Answer 23

The capital and greatest palace-city of the Persian Empire, destroyed by Alexander the Great.

Question 24

Persian Empire

Answer 24

A major empire that expanded from the Iranian plateau to incorporate the Middle East from Egypt to India; flourished from around 550 to 330 B.C.E.

Question 25

Plebeians

Answer 25

Poorer, less privileged people of Rome who gradually won a role in Roman politics.

Question 26

Punic Wars

Answer 26

Three wars between Rome and Carthage in North Africa, fought between 264 and 146 BCE, that culminated in Roman victory and control of the western Mediterranean.

Question 27

Qin Shihuangdi

Answer 27

Literally “first emperor from the Qin”; Shihuangdi (r. 221–210 B.C.E.) forcibly reunited China and established a strong and repressive state.

Question 28

Solon

Answer 28

Athenian statesman and lawmaker whose reforms led the Athenians toward Democracy.

Question 29

Wudi

Answer 29

Han emperor (r. 141–86 B.C.E.) who began the Chinese civil service system by establishing an academy to train imperial bureaucrats.

Question 30

Xiongnu

Answer 30

Nomadic peoples to the north of the Great Wall of China who were a frequent threat to the stability of the Chinese state.

Question 31

Yellow Turban Rebellion

Answer 31

A major Chinese peasant revolt that began in 184 C.E. and helped cause the fall of the Han dynasty.